Chapter Four: Designing For Emotion

In chapter four in Designing For Emotion by Aaron Walter it discussed the importance of emotional engagement. Throughout the chapter, it discussed the importance of surprise, anticipation and priming in different types of design. I thought it was really cool when Walter explained how these different emotional tactics could potentially lead to positive brand perceptions and lasting customer loyalty. I enjoyed reading the different web examples and how they incorporated emotion into their company’s design. Before reading this chapter, I did not realize how important emotion engagement was for a brand and/or company. After reading this chapter, I went back and thought about my favorite websites and started to notice the different ways they use emotion to connect with their audience. I enjoyed this chapter because it integrated elements of psychology with web design!

I totally agree with Walter when he discussed open versus closed systems. I agree that most people enjoy “open systems” (or anticipation) because it allows them to use their own imagination/creative side. I agree on the fact that I would rather read a really good book then to go see a movie. Our brains crave imagination and drawing our own pictures.

I did not fully agree on Walter’s”Freddies big bum” idea. Walter stated that some people took it as a physical appearance joke and were offended by it. He stated that him and his team could not have known that would happen. I disagree with this statement becuase I think Walter and his team could have done a better job brainstorming different ideas for their design that would not be offensive. I think if they would have slowed down and thought through the process then they could have caught this small error!

In conclusion, I loved this chapter and am excited to learn more regarding emotion and web design!